BHP, Rio Tinto and Vale have selected ABB, BluVeinXL, Hitachi, Siemens, among others, to progress beyond the Charge On Innovation Challenge, an initiative designed to foster decarbonisation in the mining industry.
Working alongside 16 other mining companies, the three major miners selected eight technology innovators which demonstrated effective solutions for safely charging large electric haul trucks, while also showcasing the viability of these solutions.
Joining ABB, BluVeinXL, Hitachi and Siemens as the Charge On Innovation Challenge’s successful participants were Ampcontrol and Tritium, DB Engineering & Consulting (DB E&C) and Echion Technologies, Shell Consortium, and 3ME Technology.
“With this group of innovators, we’re taking another step in the right direction towards changing the way haul truck systems operate in the mining sector,” Rio Tinto chief technical officer Mark Davies said.
“Through collaborations like this, where we all come together to create change, we can drive long-term benefits for our industry and the environment.”
Optimising safety was a key consideration in the Charge On Innovation Challenge, with innovators investing in safety technology to remove workers from the direct process of changing batteries.
Technology was also trialled that employs remote monitors to view the charge and status of the trucks, and diagnostics that enable critical data to be recorded to improve operations going forward.
The eight winning innovators will work with interested mining companies, original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and investors, to accelerate the technology development and to facilitate the development of OEM parts to ensure the safety and reliability of these energy solutions.
The Charge On Innovation Challenge received initial interest from over 350 companies across 19 industries, with more than 80 companies submitting expressions of interest (EOI). 21 companies were then invited to present a detailed pitch of their solution, of which the final eight were chosen.